Behind her Envoy hears the tell-tale squishing sound of crystal flowing back into place, sealing the door to the tunnel.

"Envoy " Icarus says worriedly behind her, "The door just closed. That voice sounded happy but I get a funny feeling something bad is about to happen, isn't it?"

"Nonsense, lad. I'm sure everything is perfectly fine and tip-top," Walter Thorndike says. The inflections in his voice, though, imply he likely doesn't believe it but may be saying it for the child's sake.

Up ahead a section of the ship seems to melt, forming a staircase that opens up into darkness within the ancient vessel.

"Hang on, guys," Envoy says. "It wants to kill you and eat my brain, so… I'm going to try to talk it out of that." Switching to Aelfin, she sings out, "Maintenance override! Diagnostics and inspection must be performed to determine cause of damage before repairs can be authorized! Take no action against my Gravity Drive Repair Crew personnel!"

"Crew does not match known Svartifin personnel patterns, override not accepted," the ship chimes. "Deploying recovery personnel. Please remain still… "

"It wants to do what?" Icarus and Thorndike blurt in unison.

"Run," Envoy says, and starts moving across towards the side of the ship opposite the opening. "We are short-handed and have had to make temporary, hybrid assistants," she sings to the ship. "I cannot repair you if you continue this course of action! Self-repair without determining cause of initial damage could lead to recurrence of damage!"

"Run where?" Icarus asks Thorndike. Thorndike shrugs, taps the rim of his hand, grabs the hybrid's hand, then runs in a direction opposite Envoy!

"Away from that door that opened!" Envoy calls to the others. "Something dangerous will come out! Remember the wound on that Silent-One skeleton!"

"Cause of damage: Improper removal of key components. Several quantum manipulators and key focus elements have been removed. Furthermore, primary power core was forcibly removed, causing massive damage to main neural processor. Without power core, processor and missing components cannot be regenerated. Substitute neural processor is therefore required," the machine chimes in hollow happiness. Something sure is coming down the stairway now. It's … a crystalline laced skeleton? A grand headdress of crystal still sprouts from its head and the telltale glow of gauntlets adorn its arms. It shambles and twitches in almost an uncontrolled fashion as it walks. The remain's head swivels as empty eye sockets 'look' around the room.

"I can return the power core to you!" Envoy declares in Aelfin, spreading her wings to get the skeleton's attention.

The skeleton twitches and its head snaps around to 'look' at Envoy. "Query: Where is the power core?" the ship inquires as the skeleton lifts its hand and points at Envoy. The air around the Aeolun starts to feel … funny.

"Beyond the dome," Envoy replies, and casts her Stone Strength to help her resist whatever the cadaver may have in store for her. "Near the surface. It is a sphere, with several contact points for conducting power. I have held it."

The air around Envoy starts feeling very, very heavy as pressure starts compacting in around her body. Interesting, but not surprising, she doesn't feel the collapse around her head. Everything around Envoy's body also looks rather distorted and bent as light passes through the area of altered gravity.

"Release me and my crew, and I will return with the power source and some of the other missing components," Envoy promises, while she still has breath to talk.

"Description matches known specifications of primary power core," the ship chimes, "Once full neural processing is restored, primary drone can recover the power core."

"Let her go!" Icarus shouts from the other side of the room where he was hiding from the skeleton. His hands snap up, the palms taking on a dull blue glow. The compression around her body suddenly halts and after a few seconds, begins to reverse.

"I offer an alternative," Envoy says, and tries to reach the pocket of her robe that holds the golden crystal. "Neural processors do not need to be harvested. I can provide a means to access them as needed."

"Unauthorized discharge of focus systems detected," the ship declares. The skeleton starts looking around again.

Envoy finds it very hard to move her hand … bit it's getting easier. At this rate, she'll be able to reach her pocket in about a minute.

Icarus is distracting it! Envoy realizes, and redoubles her efforts. If not for the strength boost from her spell, she probably wouldn't be able to move at all. In the meantime, she sings out some of the Engine synchronization songs she learned from the Svartifin, in case the cadaver's crystals may still respond.

"Source located," the ship states. The skeleton's hand whips around and now targets Icarus and Thorndike. The air between them rapidly distorts and ripples violently! Icarus throws his arms up to shield himself just before it slams into them. The air and light itself warps and twists around as if looking through a torrent of water. It's hard to see them, but it looks like Icarus' feet are planted hard and he's somehow holding back the onslaught. How long this will last, though, Envoy has no idea.

Envoy finds herself suddenly able to move freely now … and as she sings the engine's song, various bits of the skeleton light up and dance through luminescence in tune to her song. Now the question is … what sequence should she try?

Envoy grabs her golden crystal and hurries forward, singing out one of the maintenance sequences for the 'Abed' Engine in hope of getting it to synchronize with the planet instead of the ship.

The skeletal 'drone' violently twitches as Envoy's song seems to take dominant sway over its actions. The warp of space between it and the others abruptly dissipates. Icarus falls forward into a heap and the skeleton now just stands there swaying.

The lumbering Aeolun changes her course slightly, heading for Icarus and Thorndike now! "What is your designation?" she sing-demands of the ship.

Thorndike is already kneeling beside Icarus and trying to lift the hybrid into an upright position. Icarus, unfortunately, seems limp and unresponsive. "Deep Space Transit Unit Ninety-Seven of the Tribunal," the ship answers. The ship's colors cycle a few times, then it remarks, "Connection with drone lost."

"He's used up his strength," Envoy calls to Thorndike. In Aelfin, she says, "I have claimed your drone. If you wish to be repaired, you will receive a new designation and duty, or you can choose deactivation. All assets of the Tribunal are to be confiscated."

"Query: On what authority?" the ship actually asks.

"On authority of the chosen Envoy," Envoy replies. At least I think I was chosen. Why make me compatible, if not for some reason? I just have to ask the Sifras yet is all.

"Please wait. Contacting central communication hub for authorization," the ship states.

Envoy does not wait, she continued on towards Icarus and Thorndike.

Icarus, thankfully, has stirred somewhat; his feet moved. "Are you okay?" the hybrid asks in a tired voice as Envoy reaches him.

"I'm feeling a little stiff," Envoy jokes, her stony lips forming a grin. "That was very brave and foolish of you, Icarus. From now on you will always carry a battery with you. That is, if we get out of here. I need to go try and take over the brain of that spaceship now, if I can."

"It was foolish to try to protect you?" Icarus asks. "Your … waveform was collapsing."

"Well, it is the duty of a man to protect the fairer sex," Thorndike reminds Envoy. "He was, naturally, acting by honorable instinct."

"You left yourself vulnerable," Envoy notes. "If I had failed to disable the drone, it could have finished you off. But I am glad you helped. Thank you. I will try to get the drone to protect you."

"Error," the ship behind them declares, "Cannot access central communication hub. Retrying."

"But who will protect you?" Icarus asks as he struggles to sit upright. Thorndike helps him up to at least a sitting position.

"I will," Envoy says, heading back towards the drone. Need to test this, so may as well start small, she thinks as she holds out the golden crystal and prepares to touch it to the drone's crystal headdress. She sings the synchronization song – this time to try and synchronize the drone to herself instead of Abaddon.

As the crystal comes into contact with the headdress, Envoy's own mind explodes in shards of searing pain and chaos. Disjoint images, words, and song tear through her mind as if a millennia of information tries to download into her brain all at once. Envoy's eyesight goes white and all sensation seems to stop.

Envoy has no idea how long she was out. The next thing she remembers is waking up and finding herself kneeling before the skeleton. There's also a pool of her own blood on the floor before her … and her nose and ears feel wet.

Thorndike and Icarus are also still sitting where she left them and both have looks of horror on their faces.

"Ugh, not again," Envoy moans, and waits for the bleeding to stop. "Need to… open the ansible up… next time," she tells herself, before trying to look up at the drone and see if it was also affected in any way.

The drone's crystals have all taken on a golden glow. The bleeding stops fairly quickly … but a painful headache seems to linger.

"Are you okay?" Icarus asks, sounding worried. "You screamed like … your head was going to explode… "

"Help me up," Envoy asks of the drone. "I think my head did explode, Icarus, but… this time there doesn't seem to be major damage like last time."

The drone reaches down and lifts Envoy back to her feet.

"If you have access to my memories, you should understand this language," Envoy tells the drone in Standard. "Nod if you do."

"Don't do that," Icarus says and wipes at his eyes. "I don't know what we would have done without you."

The skeleton, complete with the no-lips disturbing-looking grin, nods.

"That was very hard on me," Envoy tells the drone. "Would I survive trying it again on the ship?" she asks.

The skeleton literally gives Envoy a blank look.

"You should know Silent Sign now too," Envoy tells the skeleton, and looks at the momentarily silent ship. "Can you open the wall so we can leave?" it asks the drone.

The skeleton waves towards the wall and the doorway reopens.

"Cannot reach central communication hub. Decision, command and control will be deferred to closest representative. Svartifin subject identified earlier cataloged as ship primary controller. Awaiting further commands," the ship chimes.

"Okay, we're leaving," Envoy tells the others. "We can try fix the ship later if we think it will cooperate, but right now it appears to be a servant of those whose motives I question." To the drone, she asks, "Do you want to stay with the ship or come with us?"

The skeleton points at the ship. The other two look relieved they will probably not be followed by such a disturbing construct.

"Are you certain you are okay, Envoy?" Thorndike asks as he stands and then helps Icarus to his feet. "What exactly happened?"

"It bothers me greatly that you were left to die here," Envoy tells the drone. "The answer to why this ship was left buried is probably in that burst I got from you, but it will take time to sort it all out."

The drone doesn't seem to be terribly bothered by being left to die. Of course it doesn't seem to be bothered by anything. But … without any facial muscles, emotions are a bit hard to convey.

"I sort of read its mind," Envoy tells Thorndike. "And it mine. It's free of the ship's control though, so shouldn't be coming after us. The power cell for the robot and the components for the gravity drive implants came from it. I don't know how Von Bronson was able to just walk in and take them though… not yet anyway. Once I've digested the memories we can decide if we want to return what we have to it – except for Icarus' implants, of course."

"That thing is part of me?" Icarus asks as he looks back at the ship. Envoy nods to Icarus as well. "Parts of you came from it. I don't think it needs them though, if it gets back its power source," she explains.

"Do you want to look inside before leaving, then?" Thorndike asks. "Do you think that it was the only crew member? Maybe … it was a skeleton crew?"

"It should be safe to look inside now, I think," Envoy says. "The Svartifin may have been the original pilot."

Icarus looks confused for a moment. "That comment made me feel … ill isn't quite the right word, but," he says.

After blinking three times at Thorndike, Envoy says, "Yes, we should check for others. We don't want to be surprised again."

"Right! There's the spirit of adventure," Thorndike declares, "Let me grab my torch."

While Thorndike goes to pick up his lamp he dropped, Icarus shakes out his arms, legs, and even tail. "Tingly," the hybrid notes, "But … feeling better."

"You should not scare me like that, Icarus," Envoy says. "If you had expended your life, I would be very cross!"

"I couldn't let you die," Icarus says as his ears quiver and flatten.

"The goal is for neither of us to die," Envoy notes. "Do not use all of your power in a single attack if you can avoid it. I will have to step up your training and see if you can learn to accumulate energy to use instead of draining your own."

"Aha! My torch survived intact! A true adventurers friend, the torch, be it the archaic kind made from a club, or the technological marvel of one made from a carbonized filament encased in a vacuum sphere," Thorndike declares. He marches back to the others, his lamp held high.

"I didn't attack it!" Icarus claims, "I just tried to halt it attacking you. It then attacked me."

Envoy also examines the drone's gauntlets. I still need to find out what mine do, she thinks, and then reaches over to rub Icarus' head. "It all worked out. Let us see what the inside of a Sifran vehicle looks like now. We may learn something useful, after all!" she says cheerfully.

Icarus … purrs. Thorndike looks at the child oddly.

"All higher mammals enjoy being rubbed behind the ears you know," Envoy notes to the man.

"Anyway … yes, inside," Thorndike agrees. The human heads towards the ship and then marches right up the stairs! He shines his lamp inside … and then blurts, "Great Gods of Science! It's … empty."

Following up the stairs, Envoy looks inside as well.

It is empty. Or at least appears to be. The stairway opens up into a vast conical shape, the fore of the ship, and nothing is inside it. There is a passageway that leads to the rear section of the strange ship.

"There is a passageway," Envoy points out, and enters to look through that into the rear compartment.

Icarus follows the others into the ship. He remains in the fore for now as Envoy and Thorndike head down the other passage. They pass along a series of empty, slightly slanted, indention's in the walls. All the indentions are approximately the depth and height of a person.

"Resting pods, perhaps?" Thorndike observes and motions towards the crystalline cocoons.

"Efficient use of space," Envoy comments. "It seems meant for personnel transport instead of cargo so far. The Sifras did spread out over a large region of this galaxy, though."

Soon enough they are through the transport section and the pair find themselves inside an odd chamber full of strange … machines? First and foremost, there is a pedestal in center of the room with a circular indention in its top. Glass-like solid tubes run from it over to several collections of crystals that flicker dimly. One particularly large cluster of crystal is fractured horribly and even blackened in spots. Further in the room is another sphere of feather-like crystalline structures laying flat along its surface. There are places where it looks like some were pried off, leaving gaps in the structure.

"The missing power crystal goes here," Envoy notes, tapping on one of the solid 'tubes' that would connect to it. "Query: How were these components removed?" she asks the ship.

"Unknown. Systems were still deactivated during the period of removal due to standing order from the Tribunal to remain in low-power mode. System restart was triggered by unidentified significant time-space distortion event that occurred … " the ship states, then pauses as if having to access something, "Seventy Primus rotation units ago. Drone dispatched to investigate. Unknown alien encountered and terminated."

"Why did you terminate the alien?" Envoy asks the ship once more.

"Alien did not match recorded database of known allies. Standing orders to preserve sanctity of launch bay executed," the ship answers.

Envoy blinks at the mention of allies. "Who does the Tribunal require allies against?" she asks.

"Any group that may oppose the master plan," the ship states.

After making a quick apology to Thorndike for speaking in a strange language, Envoy goes right back to speaking Aelfin again. "What is the master plan of the Tribunal?" she asks.

"Oh, I'm rather used to it by now!" Thorndike says rather cheerily. "I still don't understand half of what the Naga say."

"Establishing total supremacy of the one race," the ship answers.

"Is this plan shared by the majority of Sifras – those inhabiting Primus?" Envoy asks.

"Insufficient information. Cannot access central communication hub to verify current status," the ship answers.

Envoy hmms, and asks, "What was to be your part in the master plan?"

"Deep space transport of critical personnel and supplies to necessary depots, in addition to regular service deliveries to the engines of the great machine," the ship answers.

"Does the Tribunal intend to rule over all other races, or eliminate them?" the Aeolun asks, a bit of draconic inflection creeping into her voice.

"Rule that which is classified as valuable assets, eliminate that which would merely consume resources," the ship answers.

"What are your instructions in the absence of communications?" is the next question to the vast crystal mechanism.

"Wait," the ship answers.

Envoy pauses to think for a moment, and then asks, "Can you scan internally for spatial anomalies, ship?"

"Svartifin Primary Control Unit," the ship now says, "Requesting catalog designation of two unidentified biological units accompanying you. The smaller unit contains synthetic systems similar to Svartifin with unidentified modifications. Designate as secondary control unit? Completely organic unit, Designate as ally?"

"Yes," Envoy replies. "Designate as secondary control unit and ally."

"Confirmed and designated. This unit is capable of wide-scale scanning for both space and temporal anomalies both within the systems as well as on extra-planetary scale," the ship notes, "But without functioning neural processor, data cannot be properly analyzed."

"I will see about repairing you," Envoy notes. "For now, can you detect any space-time anomalies within Svartifin Primary Control Unit," she asks, curious to see if Sifran technology can actually detect the timestone embedded in her ansible.

"Scanning," the ship states. Envoy begins to feel all … tingly.

I'm sure Inala would enjoy this, Envoy thinks, a bit perversely.

"Anomaly detected," the ship states. "Precise characteristics cannot be analyzed without neural processor. Does Svartifin Primary Control Unit wish it to be extracted for further analysis?"

"No," Envoy says quickly enough. "Query: how is flight out of this hangar possible when it is buried deep underground?"

"Space-fold gateway," the system states.

"Thank you for your cooperation," Envoy tells the ship. "You may return to low-power standby after we have left and until the power core has been restored."

"Sartifin Primary Control Unit," the system adds as it begins to shut down, "In-depth scan also identified several areas of significant damage to cognative cortex of your primary neural processor. Three segments have been completely separated from main processor. Segments show sign of slow recovery, but rate of repair is poor. Recommend accelerated repair by … " and the ship is back into low-power mode.

Thorndike, in the meantime, has wandered over to the large sphere with the missing parts. He's taking careful measurements and making notes in his notebook. Now and then he pauses ti scratch at his temple with the butt of his pen as he thinks.

"Wonderful," Envoy says with a sigh. "Something personally useful to me and it falls asleep," she complains. "I'll have to ask it again when the power is restored." Noticing Thorndike, she asks, "Have you discovered something?"

"Oh, the dimensions of this sphere and its 'feathers' are quite interesting," Thorndike remarks. "They follow some of my own theoretical formulae on the malleability of space-time with regards to size and dimensions of refractive and reflective meta-material for manipulating the Aether of reality to induce changes in its state."

"Can it manipulate the phase-state of the vacuum to extract energy?" Envoy asks, giving the sphere a closer look. It reminds her of the Holy Seeds.

"Hm. Maybe so," Thorndike says. "Hard to say without it being in full operation."

Envoy tries to see how many feathers are missing.

Fifty at least, if Envoy counted right. Icarus finally slinks into the room and goes to stand by Envoy. He's staring back at the way he came worriedly.

"I wonder what… " she starts to say, then turns to Icarus. "Is something wrong?" Envoy asks, noting the boy's expression.

"I was just … sitting back there and the ship suddenly grew these limb-like things with scary-looking hands holding a sharp bit of crystal," Icarus says weakly. "It said something to me I couldn't understand … then tried to shove it in my head! It chased me around … then just suddenly stopped and went back into the ceiling."

"Well… uh… it may have been trying to augment you," Envoy says, and rubs the back of her head. "See, it thought you were a secondary control unit, and I let it, since that seemed a position that wouldn't encourage it to kill you."

"Should I have let it … augment me?" Icarus asks, wide-eyed.

"I would not, no," Envoy says. "It is asleep now, but if we return be on your guard. I'm upset that it didn't ask me if you should be upgraded first!"

"Okay. I don't think I would look good with a horn anyway," Icarus admits and rubs his forehead.

Envoy frowns a bit at that. "Horns are very handsome, I think," she notes, rubbing at her own glowing one. "We should probably leave now. It is a long walk back."

"Then you think I should have one?" Icarus asks.

"No, since it would probably hurt a great deal being implanted," Envoy admits. "But you don't think my horn looks odd, do you?" she asks.

"Well … we could ask the ship when it wakes up if it would hurt," Icarus suggests nervously. "No, I don't think yours looks odd," he also quickly adds.

"I somehow doubt the ship would understand the concept of pain," Envoy notes. "I'm still getting used to it myself," she adds, and heads for the exit.

"Well, it does cause problems for hats," Thorndike notes as he peers at Envoy's head. The human then shrugs and follows her out.

Icarus follows along. "Do they have advantages?" he asks the Aeolun, "What does yours do?"

"It hold a tiny universe compressed and folded to the size of a grain of rice, which holds all of my memories and used to allow instantaneous communication with my mother over any distance," Envoy notes. "It also glows when I hold spells in it or there is a lot of magic around, so it can double as a reading lamp."

"Oh! That sounds useful! I want to meet your mother some day. Would she like me?" Icarus asks, still wide-eyed. Sometimes he really does seem like a newborn child…

"She isn't in this reality, I'm afraid," Envoy notes. "And I'm not really her child either. It is all rather complicated and disturbing."

"You keep saying that," Icarus says and frowns as the group exists the ship and are heading towards the entryway. "Would you consider me disturbing too?" The drone is still here, standing and looking quite dead.

"You aren't disturbing to me at all," Envoy notes. "But I enjoy that you treat me like a normal person too."

"You aren't normal?" Icarus asks.

"I am quite the opposite of normal," Envoy admits with a grin, as she heads through the opening in the crystal dome to the tunnel beyond. "Remember when I told you that I don't need to use the toilet?" she asks.

"You're normal to me, mom," Icarus says and grins. "And yes, I do. You're lucky."

"I guess when you have a small frame of reference, you would be considered normal, Envoy," Thorndike points out and laughs. "If it makes you feel better, I find you as the second-most weird creature I have ever met."

Envoy blinks and then smiles at being called mom. "Well… I also do not age. So I will always look like I do now. So you will eventually look older than me, Icarus… " She looks back at Thorndike, and asks, "Walter… what is the weirdest creature you have met then?"

"So?" Icarus asks. "That doesn't matter to me."

"The hooka. The Nagas suggested I add them to my act. Really. They even had one they imported as a pet. Strange critter," Thorndike grumbles. "And close to that was the Naga lady that said I was … cute. Do you know how scary it is when a snake calls you cute? And happened to have coiled around you? I daresay I lost a few years of my life."

"Are you sure it was a lady?" Envoy asks, hiding her grin. "It is not easy to tell with Nagas. But they all like body heat."

"I met a Hooka adventurer once too," Envoy tells the man. "And we went on an adventure together."

"I do not even want to entertain the notion that it was not a lady," Thorndike says stiffy and adjusts his hat. The man pauses and then has to peer at Envoy, "Are you trying to convince me you are the weirdest creature in existence?"

"I have the advantage of being one-of-a-kind," Envoy points out, then tries to pick up the pace. It's easy for her to fall into a slow gate until her Stone Strength wears off.

"Being unique does not equate as being weird," Thorndike counters. "You would be far weirder if you could say, play the trombone with your ears."

"How is that weird and not just talented?" Envoy has to ask.

"Ears are not intended to play music, only listen to it," Thorndike claims. The remaining banter goes on like this for an hour as the group makes their way back to the main magma chamber. There Envoy collects the datapad. With Icarus as guide, the bathtub flies back up to the hangar above and Envoy uses her own wings to fly out.

The hangar is just as Envoy left it for the most part. The robot's chest is still split open and the crystal sphere protrudes from its cavity.

Envoy leaves the sphere in place for now, since she doesn't intend to return to the buried ship at just this moment. "What do you feel like having for dinner?" she asks the men. "I could try to cook something if you like!"

"Prime rib with au-jus, rosemary potatoes, a wilted lettuce salad, and a nice cognac for dessert," Thorndike suggests and looks hopeful.

"Maybe Walter should cook," Icarus suggests, "His food tastes better." He smiles sheepishly as his ears splay.

"I don't know how to make that," Envoy admits, then cheerily adds, "but I have an extensive list of recipes for pizza and donuts. I'd just have to make the oven first, and… get a lot of cooking oil… " After hearing Icarus' remark though, she says, "Or I could go wash off this dried blood and check the mail drop while Walter cooks something."

"Sorry mom," Icarus says as he swings his foot.

"I will learn to cook edible food, Icarus," Envoy promises. "I am actually a very fast learner, you know," she claims as she heads for the tunnel leading to the next higher level, while also looking for any ghostly presences.

Thorndike thinks for a bit, then nods. "I have an idea! An interesting dish I learned from the natives from the island of BoraBora on my world. Though I am not sure what to substitute for the fuzzy fruit, hmm… Anyway, yes, I can make something I think we will all like!" he declares and points upward for emphasis. "I will … hey, wait, where are you going!?" Icarus and Thorndike then follow the Aeolun upward, though she seems to have a bit of a head start. The way is clear of any spooky apparitions, thankfully. The group parts ways when they reach the lab. Icarus and Thorndike go into cook and Envoy heads out to the hangar…

Envoy decides to check the mail drop first, then clean up, so up the ramp she goes to the hangar doors. Once there, she slides open the narrow viewport to see if anything is waiting outside.

There's only one letter dropped in the mail drop. The envelope is blank. Outside the hangar is currently clear, save for the occasional gust of red dust.

Closing the portal, Envoy collects the letter and opens the envelope, wondering why nobody ever seems to write who it's from on the outside.

The letter is short and simple: 'So sorry to have missed you! Will call again later.' It's signed: 'I and Her Faithful Servants'.

"I? I who?" Envoy asks the letter, checking it for any other telltale marks. "Faithful Servants? Does the author mean Barada? And how much later? Augh!" she goes, throwing her arms up and flapping them about for a moment, before storming back down into the hangar. "Well, I'm not asking Walter to make more 'just in case' company shows up," she states.